Sherlock - An Adventure in Space and Time
by Qentaro
Summary: What if Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson are not, who you thought they be? Come along on their adventure in time and space and find out their history and their future.
1. Chapter 1

„Arcadia is down, we have to leave. Now!" the Guardian all but screamed at his charge, the Oracle. All around them, the great Library of their beloved city shook and crumbled down under the attack of the Darleks.

But the Oracle seemed to be unfazed and unnervingly calm in the eye of their dooming extinction. Maybe because his head was crammed full of all there was to know in the universe,in Time and Space, and by miracle upon miracle, he had not gone insanely mad. Not yet anyway.

"I told them this would happen," he said, absently dusting off one sleeve of his Timelordtunic.

"Yes, and they didn't listen. You told me before, remember?" the Guardian replied, worried and stressed about their current situation. He grabbed the sleeve of his friends tunic, urging him to move along with him, out of the Library. They had to find a transportation off-planet, to somewhere save,if such a place still existed. If by miracle anyone of his kind would survive this day, they would never forgive him for not saving the Oracle, beside the fact that he himself would never forgive himself, for letting his best friend die.

While they were on their way, the Guardian briefly considered to go looking for a Tardis. He had no doubt about it that the Oracle could fly one, if need be, but these special ships had a reputation of having a mind of their own, sometimes at the worst timing. And it currently wouldn't do them any good if they found one and it decided it wouldn't want to fly with them.

When they turned a corner to enter one of Arcardias spaceports, the Oracle stopped so abruptly, that the Guardian nearly fell backwards from the unexpected pull.

"What?!", he huffed irritated at his friend.

"We can't go in there," the Oracle stated simply, as if it was the most obvious thing in the whole universe.

The Guardian just wanted to throw back an angry reply, when they heard the battle-cry from their enemy from within the spaceport.

"Exterminate, exterminate!"

Cold dread gripped the Guardian as he tried to decide where to go. There weren't many options left and they got fewer by the minute.

"Don't worry, there's still a way out," his friends irritating calmness finally made the Guardian blow up.

"Don't worry?!" he screamed angrily. " I'm sorry, but if you don't stop speaking in riddles, I'm afraid we're going to die! And that very soon!"

In this exact moment a Tardis suddenly materialized next to them in the walkway.

The Oracle arched up an eyebrow as if to say: I told you so, and the Guardian had to suppress the urge to punch his friend in the face.

The door opened and a female Timelord stuck her head out, waving them in.

"Come on,time to leave. We're in a hurry."

"Who are you and how did you find us?" the Guardian asked, puzzled by their sudden rescue, when they entered the Tardis.

"I'm the Phoenix," the woman at the door answered and than pointed at another female Timelord at the control panels. "And this is my friend the Traveler."

"She pestered me to land here," the Traveler replied to the second part of the question, while starting the spaceship again and vanishing from the walkway. "said it was important"

"The Oracle is important," the Phoenix tried to defend herself. "and he said to come here in case a day like today was ever about to happen, the last time I official was allowed to visit him."

The Guardian looked disbelievingly at his friend.

"You knew all along we were going to be saved? Why didn't you tell me?"

The Oracle just shrugged his shoulders, while walking up to the control panels and studying them curiously.

"You're not coming out very much, are you?" the Traveler asked him casually. She, like every other Galifrayan, knew the stories about the Oracle and although she disliked how he was treated by the High Council, she also thought he didn't want her pity.

"No," the Oracle replied absentmindedly, seemingly deep in thought.

"He does that a lot. Answering like that, I mean," the Guardian apologized on his friends behalf.

The Phoenix was about to respond, when the Tardis, all of a sudden, dropped out of the time vortex and rematerialized somewhere in space, refusing to travel on.

"What the hell happened?" the Phoenix wanted to know. Her friend studied the readings on her consoles.

"She says there's something dangerous inside here with us." she stated, puzzled by the answer of her spaceship.

"Oh, she's a very clever Tardis, this one," the Oracle remarked out of the blue.

The other three turned to look at him bewildered. The Oracle still stood next to the control panels, but now he held a pulsating orb in his right hand.

"Releasing the power of the rebirth orb while in the time vortex, would have caused an explosion that would have killed us before the essence of the orb could have taken effect."

"Are you insane? There's no telling how many people this orb is going to effect once its open" the Traveler exclaimed, while the Guardian tried to get closer to his friend and the Phoenix tried it from an other angle.

"Why did you steal it out of the time vault?" she asked tense.

The Oracle turned the orb in his hand.

"Do you think, with a chance like this to escape, I would willingly go back into their prison for me, to be poked and prodded and asked all this stupid, useless questions?"

"Please don't do it," the Guardian begged his friend. "There has to be another way."

The Oracle sadly shook his head.

"You all know our kind well enough to know they'll never change. I'm so sorry you all got involved, believe me I really am, but this is going to happen, right here, right now."

Then he let the orb fall.

A flash, blinding light filled the Tardis who screeched loudly in dismay and all four of them were erased from their current existence to be reborn into a new one.


	2. Chapter 2

_She was unusual nervous, when she met the Oracle. It wasn't her nature to be like this, but being allowed to meet a Timelord as famous as him wasn't an everyday event._

" _Don't be nervous," he said and his calmness helped to center herself again. She sighed._

" _I'm not," she replied. "well not anymore, but there's this question I ask my self again and again."_

" _Which is?"_

" _Why am I here? I mean, not that I'm not honored to meet you, Oracle, but I can't think of any reason."_

" _Maybe because I'm lonely?"_

 _She smiled._

" _No, you can't be lonely with all the people coming and going. There must always be someone around."_

" _Yeah, maybe, but you're right, that's not why I wanted you to come. I want to ask you a favor."_

Ayumi Sato opened her eyes, and with a look on her bedside clock, she knew, she was going to be late for work. Her friend was going to kill her.

She jumped out of her bed, showered, dressed and tamed her shoulder length, black hair quickly into a ponytail. It had to do for now.

Slipping into her shoes, she left the small flat, she lived in with her friend and crossed the corridor, that connected the flat with their cafe in front of the building.

"You're late, Ay," her friend, Maylene Thainy just stated, not looking at Ayumi, while putting the last stools from their night place on the table, back on the floor.

"Sorry, had a weird dream and overslept," Ayumi apologized and began to organize their cash register. "Our neighbor from upstairs was in it."

"Sherlock Holmes?" Maylene asked, smiling to herself. "Are you in love?"

Ayumi shook her head vehemently, making her friend laugh.

"Hell no, never. He's ...odd. Nicely put"

"But speaking of love," Ayumi changed the topic."I think his friend is flirting with you, May. He's been here three days in a row now."

"He likes our coffee," Maylene tried to explain, throwing her duster at her friend who caught it with a laugh.

"Yeah, whatever gets you trough the night my friend," she snickered putting the duster away while her friend opened "Speedy's" for the day.

 _They were standing face to face and the Oracle knew this was goodbye._

" _I'm leaving, please come with me."_

 _His hearts began to arch in sadness._

" _You know they wouldn't let me go, they'll hunt you to the end off the universe to get me back."_

" _Please, we have to at least try. Suzan, your niece, is coming along too."_

 _He shook his head, the other sighed_

" _How's your head?"_

" _I'll live"_

 _The other reached out to hug him close, giving him a kiss on the top of his head._

" _I'll come back to get you, you hear me? I promise."_

 _A nod_

 _The other turned and left_

Sherlock Holmes blinked into wakefulness with a raging headache. This was the weirdest dream he had in a long time, not that he ever had dreamed before about being someone else.

He showered, dressed himself and then entered his flats living room. His flat mate Dr. John Watson was already up, drinking tea and studying the newspaper.

"Morning," he was greeted by his friend. "Welcome to the land of the living. Tea and breakfast?"

Sherlock shook his head, an unexpected wave of nausea passing through him.

"I need some fresh air, to clear my head," he replied simply, slipping into his coat and leaving without another word, leaving a puzzled and slightly worried John behind.

He just walked down the block and then on warts, not really paying much attention to where he was going. The young detective was confused, his mind in utter turmoil, turning this way and that, as if it was looking for something it had lost. He couldn't even straighten out his thoughts, like he used to. It began to hurt like someone was drilling a hole into his scull and as Sherlock stopped to take a calming breath, a pain spread out inside his chest. It hurt, like his heart was struggling to beat properly, but that couldn't be, because at the same time he could feel it working just fine. He held onto a nearby fence, breathing harshly, but as soon as it had started, it was all over again and when he straighten up from his hunched over position, he noticed to his surprise, he was back on his doorstep.


	3. Chapter 3

It was unusual quiet at the cafe for this time of the day, Ayumi thought and smiled at her friend, when the door opened and Dr. Watson came in to order coffee, the fourth day in a row now. Maylene rolled her eyes at her friend, then turned to make the coffee. When it was served and Maylene and Dr. Watson started up a conversation, the door opened again. A man came in, short, spiked up brown hair, hazel eyes, with a red headed woman in tow. As he saw the three of them his face broke into a truly happy smile. He hugged them all one by one, starting with Ayumi, then Maylene and at last Dr. Watson, leaving them totally confused.

"Wasn't sure I was finding you here, to be honest the readings weren't quite clear," he began to talk a mile a minute. "But look at you, here you are, oh I'm so, so happy. You know, up until know I thought I was the only one left..."

"Doctor," the red headed woman interrupted the mans rambling, noticing the confused looks of the others. "I don't think, they know what you're talking about."

The man, know known as the Doctor, stopped talking, looking suddenly very worried. Out of the blue he laid one hand on Dr. Watson's chest and if it was possible looked even more worried then before.

"Only one heart beating," he stated. "Ouch, that must hurt, did you use a chameleon arch, no wait, that isn't possible. If you had, there would have been no way for me to find you. So what happened to you?" He swiftly turned to Maylene and laid two fingers on both of her temples.

" _I don't think you're entitled to speak on this matter, Ambassador"_

 _The Traveler took a deep breath to stay calm._

" _That's maybe the case, but nonetheless I think, it's not right to treat the Oracle like this. He has the same rights, as every other Galifrayan has."_

" _It's just for his protection."_

" _Really? Or are you just afraid he would leave, like his father did?"_

The Doctor was abruptly pulled away from Maylene by Dr. Watson and shoved away from her.

"Look Mister, I don't know who the hell you are, but if you're not leaving immediately, I call the police" he huffed angrily.

"Are you alright,May?" Ayumi asked her friend, who rubbed her temple but nodded a yes with a small smile.

The Doctor turned to his companion.

"There's still Timelord consciousness but it's scattered." they heard him say. "I don't know what happened, Donna, but I'm going to find out."

Then he left without another word. Donna looked at them apologetically then followed him out.

Maylene, Ayumi and Dr. Watson looked at each other, not knowing what to think of what had just happened.

"You really are alright?" Dr. Watson asked Maylene urging her to sit down.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Dr. Watson," she assured, pulling a strand of her long, dark-brown hair back behind her ear. "He just surprised me, that's all."

"Strange man," Ayumi mused about their meeting with the Doctor. Then she shook her head slightly and asked:"Someone wants a coffee?"

"I love to," Dr. Watson replied heading for the door. "but I have to go. My friend acted a little bit odd this morning while leaving the flat, I just want to make sure he's back and everything is ok."

Maylene nodded.

"See you around, Dr. Watson," she said as a goodbye. At that he turned around again in the doorway.

"It's John," he insisted.

"Maylene," she responded with a strange sense of deja vu.

"Ayumi," Ayumi just added and waved a short goodbye, as other customers started to come in and suddenly it was like every other day again.

John Watson made his short way back into his and Sherlock's flat. When he entered their living room, he was surprised to find Sherlock sleeping, sitting in his chair. A letter clenched in one hand as if he had still read it minutes ago. John walked up to his friend but as he tried to wake him up, something strange happened. Sherlock's eyes flew open, he let the letter fall and grabbed John's outstretched arm instead.

 _A warm breeze came in trough one of the hallway windows, two men walking side by side._

" _Are they pestering you again? the blonde one asked his dark haired friend worryingly. "You look drained."_

 _The other just shrugged his shoulders._

" _Not like it's going to change anytime soon."_

" _Then it's time to change it yourself," the blonde replied_

 _A small smile crossed the face of the dark haired man._

" _I'm working on it my friend," he stated and the blonde began to feel a little bit uneasy._

John blinked back into the here and now with a gasp and stumbled a few steps back, breaking the contact he had with Sherlock.

"Whoa, what was that?" he wanted to know, his heart beating wildly and a headache started to begin behind his forehead. Sherlock stood up from his chair, looking really shaken himself for a minute, but within seconds he had himself under control again.

"I don't know what you are talking about," he lied, bending down to retrieve the letter from the floor, folding it again and placing it on the mantle piece.

"Don't lie to me, Sherlock" John erupted angrily. This day evolved into one of the worst in his life pretty quickly. "You saw it too, whatever it was. This was us, you and me."

Sherlock turned to his friend.

"Don't make more out of it, than it really is, John," he replied coldly. "You hallucinated, that's all."

John sighed in defeat, rubbing a hand across his face.

"Please don't do this, Sherlock. Don't lock me out."

But his plea fell on deaf ears. Sherlock turned away from him, vanishing into the direction of his bedroom.


	4. Chapter 4

"Fine" John grumbled, sitting down at his usual place. " It's not that you're the only one acting strange today. In fact the man I encountered downstairs at the cafe, doesn't even seem half as weird anymore now."

"What man?" he suddenly heard his friends voice from the shadow of the door frame behind him.

John turned around in his chair, but could only spot a glimpse of Sherlock.

"So, now you want to talk."

"John, focus," Sherlock retorted impatient."tell me about the man."

"He came into Speedy's not long ago today, with a red haired woman," John began, settling back into his chair, waiting for his friend to sit down too. But Sherlock didn't move away from the door frame, so John continued.

"He acted like he knew us, the owners of Speedy's and me, but when he noticed our lack of response, he laid a hand on my chest, and afterwards his fingers against the temples of one of the owners, talking some totally weird stuff about just having one heart,Timelord consciousness and trying to find out what had happened to us. He left shorty after that."

A short silence spread between the two men, then Sherlock re-entered the living room and John noticed his pale complexion. His friend grabbed his coat, slipped it on and was at the stairs before John could say anything.

"Come on, we have to find this man," he heard Sherlock shouting back at him.

When John caught up with his friend in front of their building, Sherlock looked up and down the street, observing the people passing by.

"Can you tell me, how do you want to find him?" John wanted to know. "We don't know a name or an address?"

"He didn't have a car and he didn't hail a cab, right?" Sherlock asked and he nodded.

"He has to stay somewhere close or at least in walking distance, especially if he wants to visit Speedy's again. And from what you told me, he'll definitely coming back. So let's visit some of my contacts and see if one of them noticed something out of place."

While Sherlock and John started to walk down Baker Street, they were watched from a hidden place across the street.

"So it is him, the tall and handsome one?" Donna asked, and the Doctor nodded, his gaze never leaving the man in question.

It wasn't that often, that the red haired woman had seen the Timelord as emotional as he was now, but she knew why, he had told her just minutes ago, and it was more than understandable.

"You just had to go over and tell him," she reminded him softly.

The Doctor turned around and shook his head.

"He wouldn't have recognized me, Donna," he replied sighing. "Remember, their memories are a scrambled mess, no way he would have believed me."

"If he's anything like you, he would have at least heard you out." Donna reasoned, but the Doctor had already abandoned their hiding place and crossed the street. She had to hurry, to catch up with him at the door to 221b Baker Street.

"What? Don't tell me you want to break in?" she demanded to know.

"Where else could we find what we are looking for?" he gave back, while getting out his sonic screwdriver and holding it against the lock. Only seconds later the door was opened by an elderly woman.

"Finally. I've waited for you long enough," she said and smiled.

Sometime later, it had gotten dark already, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson stood in front of an ordinary looking, blue police box. It didn't seem out of place, nestled into a small side road, not far away from their home, but nonetheless Sherlock found it odd that it was there. A feeling he couldn't understand.

"It's just an old police box," John stated slightly irritated. "So why don't we go back home already?"

He was worried about his friend, who was unusually quiet and seemed in pain, he tried his best not to show. But John was a Doctor and he recognized the signs of it.

„Can't you see it," Sherlock asked back instead of answering John's question. He walked around the police box once and then stopped in front of the door. "This is a clever camouflage, looking entirely ordinary and nothing special. No one would think twice about it being here."

Then he reached out to open the blue police box, but when he touched the door, the pain in his chest flared up again, nearly knocking him over, if it wasn't for John, holding him on his feet.

"Sherlock!" he heard his friends panicked voice as he fell into darkness. Before John could get his cell out and call for help, someone knocked him out from behind.


	5. Chapter 5

Ayumi and Maylene were on their way home from their night out, when they noticed the unconscious John on the side road. They ran up to him, Ayumi getting her cell out, in case, they needed help, but when the two women reached John Watson, he was already waking up,trying to get on his feet again. Maylene, who was next to him first, helped him up.

"Are you ok? What happened?" she wanted to know.

John looked around, worry and confusion clearly visibly on his face.

"Sherlock? Have you seen him around?" He made a few steps down the side road than back up again. "And there was a police box, right where you're standing."

"No, we saw no one but you," Ayumi negated his question. "Should I call the police?"

John shook his head, making his way out of the side road onto the main street. How should he explain to the police a police box that vanished into thin air not to mention what had happened in the span of the last day and where Sherlock had disappeared to. He had to think of something else.

"I'm going back to the flat," he announced finally. "Maybe Sherlock is already back. And if not I can still call the police from there."

"Ok,"Maylene agreed, having a feeling they shouldn't let him walk back alone. "Do you mind, if we come along? I mean just to be sure?"

When they left the side road behind, Ayumi just looked back again, feeling watched from the shadows but she couldn't see anything.

They made their way back to the flat in silence, everyone of them deep in thought. Therefore they noticed the blue police box next to 221b Baker Street nearly too late. John could hardly believe his eyes. It was the same blue box as before but now it stood right here at their home. So maybe that meant...

John opened his front door in a hurry, not waiting for Maylene and Ayumi to follow, running up the stairs just to find Mrs. Hudson and the two strangers from the cafe sitting together, drinking tea.

"Where's Sherlock?" he demanded to know, while Maylene and Ayumi caught up to him.

Mrs. Hudson looked worryingly at them.

"We thought he was with you, dear," she answered, looking at the strangers for help. It was a very odd situation but John was way to worried about his friend to pay it much attention.

"He was," he started to explain. "Until we found this blue police box on a side road, then, when we wanted to take a closer look, Sherlock suddenly keeled over in immense pain and when I wanted to call for help I was knocked out from behind. I came through, when Maylene and Ayumi found me, but Sherlock and the box were gone. And now the same blue police box stands right in front of this building."

Surprised the man from the cafe stood up and looked out the window.

"It's the Tardis," he confirmed and the red headed woman stood up too, to take a look. "But she would only switch location, if she sensed danger."

"You talk like it is a sentient being," Ayumi wondered aloud at which the man turned around, his inner turmoil showing clearly on his face.

"Yes she is," he began. " And if she sensed the danger you must have felt it too."

"Maybe," John retorted, not liking the accusing tone one bit. "But I was taking care of Sherlock, he was my first priority. And anyway, what the hell is going on here?"

"Doctor," Mrs. Hudson finally spoke up. "I think you have to tell them. You have to find Sherlock, I told you his mental wall was the weakest one of them all."

Sherlock woke up slowly and found himself handcuffed to a chair. His head hurt so much he could barely see or think straight, not to mention that his body felt like it was burning up. Carefully he lifted his head a bit and tried to see his surroundings but everything became blurred immediately.

A door to his right opened and someone came in. The echo of the footsteps hurt his head even more.

"Can't say I've seen this before, a defective Timelord," a young voice stated emotionless. "But good for me, you're easier to catch like this."

Sherlock blinked and for a moment his vision cleared enough that he recognized a ten year old boy standing in front of him. His right temple, right wrist and hand were partly covered with oddly looking black metal.

"What are you?" Sherlock asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

The boy laughed and one of his hands slipped into the pocket of his jeans getting a shining orb out.

"Just call me Drake," he replied easily. "I crash landed on this planet, took this body cause the one I came with was failing and now I'm hunting Timelords, need your energy to jump start my ship again. Humans are good for upgrading, but don't produce much energy. They're basically useless."

He laid two fingers of his metal covered hand against one of Sherlock's temples then looked him straight in the eyes.

"I saw the Tardis, I saw the others. Tell me where they are?"

"Never"

Some of the black metal traveled from the boys hand to Sherlock's temple, attaching itself there.

"I find out what I want to know anyway, so you can make it easy on yourself or hard" the boy smiled, while Sherlock screamed in pain.


	6. Chapter 6

„I think it's time you tell us, what's going on here?" Maylene demanded to know. "I don't know about the others, but I for myself want to know the truth. As crazy as it may be."

John nodded in agreement.

"Yes, she's right. And we'll never be able to help Sherlock if we don't know that."

The Doctor looked at Donna, who nodded with a smile and a touch to his arm in encouragement.

"Well," he began finally. "My name is The Doctor, I'm a Timelord from the planet Gallifrey. You are Timelords as well, all four of you. I know that sounds crazy, you can't remember anything other than some tiny, tiny bits and pieces, manifesting in dreams or feelings, but it's true. Sherlock used a rebirth orb on you all and here you are, with a brand new life on planet earth. I for myself, didn't know what had happened before Mrs. Hudson told me. Really clever, she saved your lives."

"Mrs. Hudson?" John asked disbelievingly but she only smiled and suddenly the walls of the living room blurred into some metal structure and then back to the familiar sight.

"I used the orb to contain some of your Timelord essence and installed the mental wall before you began your new life her on earth." she explained. "Took me a lot of energy to keep you alive through this, so I crashed here, fitted myself in and waited for you to find your way back to me. Unfortunately the orb got lost in the process."

"That's a lot to take in," Ayumi said finally, looking at Maylene and John, who seemed equally struggling to cope with the news. "I mean, it's not easy when you get told that, in truth, you're someone entirely different."

The Doctor shook his head.

"No, no," he replied, taking her hand and squeezing it shortly in reassurance. "You are Ayumi, just as your friends are Maylene and John. And Sherlock, well he's Sherlock. All that you're missing is what would make you a Timelord and Memories, that's all."

"But why's Sherlock different?" John asked further. "He seems gravely ill and it gets constantly worse"

"His mind contains so much knowledge about all of space and time," Mrs. Hudson explained. "that the mental wall can't hold it back forever. And because his body and mind, like yours, is only half Timelord at the moment he'll die, if you're not finding Sherlock and the orb in time."

"Then, I think, we have no time to lose" Maylene stated after a short while. " Doctor, can we find Sherlock and the orb, like you found us the first time?"

"Yeah," the Doctor answered thinking about what to do next. "we can try. Come on, let's see, how my Tardis can help us." Then he turned to Mrs. Hudson. "I promise, when this is over, I'll try to repair as much as I can."

Mrs. Hudson smiled.

"Thank you my dear, that's more than enough."

As everyone started to leave the flat Ayumi turned to Donna.

"I'm sure there's something the Doctor didn't tell us."

"You're right," Donna replied." But it's not my place to tell you."

Ayumi nodded. " I thought so."

Sherlock screamed inside his head, trying everything to get back control over his body, but the metal entity was to strong. He felt himself growing weaker and was terrified.

"I don't want to die," he thought again and again and again, like a lifeline, keeping him sane.

He had to hold on to his self as long as possible and maybe there would arise a situation, where he could defeat this parasite holding him hostage in his own body.

For now, he watched the boy and himself try to repair some kind of teleportation device, memorizing everything he saw.

It might come in handy anytime soon.


	7. Chapter 7

The Doctor grinned at Donna, who rolled her eyes at him in answer when they all entered his Tardis. He loved peoples first reactions after entering the Tardis and Maylene, Ayumi and John were no exception.

"That's impossible," John looked around, trying like the two women, to understand what he saw. "I mean... how?"

"Oh a long story," the Doctor replied cheerfully. "but we don't have time for it now. So just this: You live in one, did it never occurred to you that there is an awful lot of space for this small flat?"

"That would explain why Ay's room seemingly never gets smaller, although she cramped way to much stuff in there," Maylene gave back, which made the others laugh and Ayumi sticking her tongue out at her.

It was when the Doctor turned to his consoles that, out of nowhere, he heard this voice in his head repeating: "I don't want to die" like a broken record. He rubbed on of his temples with one hand, holding onto the consoles with the other while the dizziness passed and he was able to tune the sound of the voice down to an acceptable volume.

"Doctor," Donna asked worryingly. "What is it?"

The Timelord took a deep breath and when he looked at the others a small smile crept on his face.

"I know where to find Sherlock," he simply stated and then he started the Tardis.

"But how?" Ayumi wanted to know. "Is this a Timelord thing, some telepathic connection?"

"No, not really," the Doctor answered, while navigating the Tardis to their destination. "It's more of a personal thing."

„What's that supposed to mean?" John asked slightly irritated. "Can or can you not link yourself telepathically to Sherlock? And if so, why only you?"

The Doctor sighed, debating with himself, if he wanted to tell the others about Sherlock and himself.

"Yes," he finally started to explain. "I can hear Sherlock inside my head. He don't know that he's crying out for help, because he can't remember this technique actively. And I'm the only one hearing it because we're related"

"So you're brothers." Maylene drew the conclusion but the Doctor shook his head.

"No, he's my son," he stated simply, busying himself with landing the Tardis, while everyone, except from Donna, stared at him in shock.

"No way...," Ayumi didn't really know what to say. "I mean you look not older than...you're kidding, right?"

"I'm not kidding," the Doctor responded, grabbing his coat on the way to the door. "This already is my 10th regeneration and I'm well over 900 years old."

"Oh I can't wait to get my memories back," John mumbled, which made Maylene next to him chuckle.

As they left the Tardis, they found themselves in the remains of an old factory.

"Ok, any idea where to look?" Ayumi asked while letting her eyes roam around.

"The best way would be to make two groups, so we can cover more ground," John suggested, to which the Doctor nodded a yes.

"But be careful. Really, really careful," he warned the others. "If you encounter any kind of danger go back to the Tardis, you hear me?"

So after they agreed to be careful, Donna and the Doctor and John, Maylene and Ayumi began the search for Sherlock in opposite directions.

"I don't think it was a wise decision to split up," Donna said, walking through an empty storeroom with the Doctor. "I mean, staying together would have been safer, wouldn't it."

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders.

"Maybe," he meant seemingly deep in thought. "Maybe not. It's hard to see at the moment. Everything is in motion, there's no way to tell, what's going to happen." For a second the Doctor seemed unsure but then he smiled at Donna. "Don't worry I keep you save. The others too, I keep you all save, I promise."


	8. Chapter 8

Donna linked her arm with the Doctors.

„l know you worry about Sherlock a lot. We'll find him and everything will be good again, you'll see."

„It's not easy to allow myself any hope" the Doctor finally confessed to his companion. „I lived a long time, thinking I had lost everyone and suddenly here he is alive and well. Maybe we should have left them alone."

This time it was Donna who shook her head.

„Don't say things like that" she tried to assure him. „You deserve something good too, like everyone else. Be happy that you found him and I'm sure when he finally remembers he'll be happy too."

The Doctor smiled emotionally at her, showing confidence again.

For a while they walked side by side in comfortable silence, finding nothing of importance. When they reached another storeroom, the Doctor felt dread creeping up on him. Something was horribly wrong. While Donna entered, the Timelord stopped at the threshold. He reached out with one hand and held Donna back.

"Donna, stop," he whispered in warning.

Confused the red haired woman turned around.

"Why," she asked. "Is something wrong?"

The Doctor nodded his head in the direction they were supposed to go. Sherlock stepped out of the shadows and Donna began to smile.

"Hello," she addressed him."Thank god, we finally found you. Are you alright?"

"No Donna, don't," the Doctor warned her, having seen and recognized what his companion had not.

He held her arm, urging her to following him out again, but when he turned around to leave he nearly collided with John, who blocked the way.

Donna gasped in shock when she saw the black metal at one of Johns temples, the vacant look in his eyes, then she was grabbed from behind and pulled away from the Doctor by Ayumi, who shared the same cruel fate.

"Let her go!" the Doctor demanded, his face suddenly stone cold. "You don't want to risk making me angry. Believe me you won't."

Maylene blocked his way before he could reach Donna and Ayumi. Sherlock and John joined them so, when Ayumi let go of Donna, she and the Doctor were surrounded by the four.

"What happened to them?" Donna asked, looking at their former friends.

"They're controlled by cybermite," the Doctor started to explain to his companion. "They're construction units, usually accompanying cybermen." Then he addressed the others. "So where are they? The cybermen, where have you hid them?"

"There are no cybermen," Maylene answered. "We are alone. Crash landed here, need the defective Timelords to repair the ship, need their energy to leave."

"You're a fully functioning Timelord" John continued." An even better option for us to leave this place behind."

"With you we can take over this world" Ayumi added."And many more after this. But we don't need the human."

"Don't touch her" the Doctor warned, holding Donna as close to him as possible. "Let her go and I surrender to you." Then he turned to Donna "Please, you have to leave. Go back to the Tardis as fast as you can."

The red haired woman nodded, not happy to leave the Doctor alone but knowing better than to argue with him.

"We agree" Sherlock finally agreed and John stepped aside, opening the circle, they had formed. "This body is failing fast, we need you as replacement."

As Donna had reached the door, the young boy joined the others, coming to a stop in front of the Doctor, looking up at him.

He knew he was going to die, Sherlock could feel his body shutting down, there was no way he was going to survive. But if he could at least help to safe John and the others his death wouldn't be for nothing.

He had started to examine this growing light in the back of his head. It was still held back by some kind of wall but the power of that energy was wearing it down slowly but surely.

Sherlock knew the cybermite were linked to each other, he could hear them communicating among themselves in his head. So if he tore down the mental wall, setting free whatever was behind, it hopefully was enough to kill this parasites dead once and for all.

With his last remaining strength Sherlock ripped open the wall in his head.


	9. Chapter 9

The Doctor wanted to address the boy, when he saw Sherlock's eyes beginning to glow.

"No, don't," he screamed at Sherlock, feeling suddenly very, very cold inside.

The boy, John, Ayumi, Maylene and Sherlock lost consciousness with a pained scream, the cybermite falling off of their faces in the process, lying motionless on the ground next to their victims.

The Doctor was next to Sherlock in a second holding the younger mans body, who's eyes were still wide open.

"Why?" he asked, tears threatening to fall. He hadn't felt hurt like this in a long time. "You didn't have to do this."

"Doctor!" he suddenly heard Donna's voice next to him. Puzzled he looked up to her. Hadn't he told her to leave?

Donna was standing in front of him, holding a shining orb in her hand.

"Doctor, look" she spoke urgently. "I found this orb next to the boy."

Hope flared up inside of the Doctor.

"You have to smash it, Donna. Fast!"

So Donna laid the orb on the ground and smashed it with one foot.

An orange-like essence floated out of the broken orb back to the four unconscious Timelords.

Ayumi, Maylene and John slowly regained consciousness again, Donna helping them up. Only Sherlock remained motionless

"Come on, come on Sherlock," the Doctor demanded agitated, looking for any sign that Sherlock was waking up but there was none.

John kneed next to them, giving Sherlock a quick check up.

"We better get him back to Baker Street" he finally stated looking at the Doctor. "I can't say why he's not waking up, there's nothing I can do for him here. Also it's way too dangerous to stay. "

It was then when the Doctor noticed that the young boy and three of the cybermites were gone.

Carefully he laid Sherlock into Johns arms, then stood up.

"Take the Tardis to get back to Baker Street" he said, giving Maylene a key and urging them to hurry. "I need to take care of something else first. I'll meet you there. "

Without waiting for a reply he turned away and vanished into the opposite direction from where he had come before.

"What can be more important now?" Ayumi wondered out loud, shaking her head.

Donna noticed the absence of the boy and indicated it.

"I'm going after him" she decided. "Are you going to be fine on your own?"

Maylene nodded.

"I know how to fly a Tardis, don't worry. We'll take care of Sherlock, you make sure the Doctor does nothing he'll regret in the end."

And so they parted ways again.

It wasn't that hard for the Doctor to follow the cybermites. Their circuits were seriously damaged, so the boy was moving only slowly.

The Doctor caught up with him at the teleportation device, using his sonic screwdriver to lock it down.

"Oh you're not going anywhere," the Doctor spat, full of anger and hatred. "It ends here and now."

The boy looked up at him smirking.

"So you're going to kill this little one?" he asked, pointing at himself. "Because I can tell you he's still alive."

The Doctor took some careful steps forward.

"I don't care." he replied coldly. "I don't care if you think you can bargain with his life because it won't work."

"Do you think Sherlock would like to hear that a child died because of him?" Donna begged the Doctor to consider. She had arrived just in time to hear his last words and was visible worried. "There has to be another way"

The Doctor looked at her and seemed to calm at least a little bit.

"Let us go" the boy spoke up again. "We're leaving this planet and never return. We keep the little one alive, we promise."

"Then leave," the Doctor ordered unlocking the teleportation device, but when the boy stepped in and activated it, he used his sonic screwdriver on the device again.

There was a short, awful screech from the cybermites as they vanished, the boy stayed inside the device, lying unconscious but alive on the ground.

"Where have they gone?" Donna asked silently, a little bit unsettled by the strange sound.

"Cease to exist" the Doctor replied emotionless, picking up the boy from the ground then turning around to leave.

"Let's get him to a hospital" he added as he passed his companion and Donna nodded with a sigh.


	10. Chapter 10

Sherlock's condition hadn't improved as they reached Baker Street. He was still unconscious and that worried the others a lot. More so as they now had their Timelord conscious back and knew that there was no reason why Sherlock wasn't waking up. And even if there was, he had to at least regenerated by now. But there was no sign.

"I don't know what's wrong with him" John sighed, looking at the medical console above his friend's bed, that Mrs. Hudson had provided upon their arrival. "All vital signs are normal and there are no visible injuries."

"Maybe it has something to do with the amount of knowledge stored in his head and he just needs some time to adjust to it again." Maylene suggested helpfully.

Ayumi yawned, leaning herself against the door frame.

"Then there's nothing we can do as to wait for the Doctor to return." she finalized her conclusion. "Maybe he knows what to do."

John nodded resigned.

"You don't have to wait here with me" he addressed the women. "You look beat, take some time to rest, I have an eye on Sherlock. And if there's any news, I let you know. "

"Ok" Maylene agreed, tugging at Ayumi's arm to make her following Maylene out. "We see you later then. But take some rest too"

"I will," John replied giving them both a small hug before they left.

" _Yeah, maybe, but you're right, that's not why I wanted you to come. I want to ask you a favor."_

Ayumi woke up with a start, blinking rapidly. While getting dressed again, she berated herself for forgetting something so important.

After writing a short note to Maylene she left her flat and went back to see Sherlock.

Mrs. Hudson let her in.

John had fallen asleep in his chair and the Doctor and Donna weren't back yet.

Ayumi silently entered Sherlock's bedroom, smiling a little.

"You're lucky I remembered just in time." she muttered, sitting down next to Sherlock at the edge of the bed. She took the one hand next to her in one of hers and laid her other one on his forehead. Closing her eyes, she tapped into her regeneration energy, drawing it out.

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself back in the living room. It was dark outside and raining heavily. Sherlock stood in front of a window, playing the violin. He stopped but didn't turn around.

"What are you doing here?" he asked emotionless.

Ayumi walked next to him, looking out the window.

"You told me to come, remember?" she answered evenly.

Sherlock sighed, laying the violin and bow away.

"Then you're wasting your regeneration energy for nothing I'm afraid."

"So you want to die, while hiding here in the thick head of yours?" Ayumi wondered looking at the Detective. "I considered you a smart ass but a coward that's new."

"What do you know about me?" Sherlock spat angrily. "You don't know anything."

Ayumi shrugged her shoulders.

"You always wanted to be free and you still can be. No one's standing in your way but yourself."

Sherlock remained silent, furrowing his brow, thinking.

Outside the window it stopped raining and the sun began to shine. Ayumi began to smile.

"Drama Queen" she muttered to herself but Sherlock still heard her. A tentative smile showed up on his face.

"You think I'm a smart ass?"

"Yes you are."

"And you still want me to come back?"

"We all want that. And by the way, who would solve all this difficult cases if not you, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, smart ass and Drama Queen."

Sherlock laughed delighted.

"Well then" he replied finally. "I'm curious how your next regeneration looks like."

Ayumi smiled.

"Me too."

" _Yeah, maybe, but you're right, that's not why I wanted you to come. I want to ask you a favor."_

" _And what would that favor be?"_

" _Find me when I'm lost."_


	11. Chapter 11

Cursing Maylene stuffed the note into the pocket of her pants and made her way to next door. It was so typical for Ayumi to do something as stupid as this.

At the door to 221b she met with the Doctor and Donna, showing them the note.

"What's this energy thing about?" Donna asked while they were let in by Mrs. Hudson and running up the stairs. "It's supposed to be a myth," John answered from the top of the stairs. "A Timelord that can regenerate by sheer will whenever they want."

"Well, not anymore," Maylene gave back, when they all entered the living room.

There, Sherlock helped Ayumi to sit down. The female Timelord looked much different than before. She was fair-skinned, her short, blond hair nearly white and her pale blue eyes had a slightly reddish hue in it.

When she saw the others, a tired smile crosses her face.

"I was a little late with regeneration" Ayumi explained with a shrug of her shoulders.

Maylene walked over to her friend, giving her a friendly smack to the back of her head.

"I'm glad that I don't have to deal with your dead body" she confessed, giving Ayumi a relieved hug.

"So" Sherlock looked at the Doctor unsure what to do or say next.

The older Timelord started to smile brighter than ever before and with a delighted laugh he hugged his son tightly. Sherlock tried to hug him back.

"I really thought I had lost you, like everyone else" the Doctor began. "And I'm more than glad that I was wrong."

Sherlock looked at him skeptical, when they were facing each other again.

"But you're not staying" he stated matter-of-factly.

The Doctor sighed, rubbing a hand across his face.

"I'm not like that, you know me" he finally said a little bit strained. "I'll stay as long as I need to fix what I had promised to fix. But you can come along with me if you want."

Immediately Sherlock shook his head.

"As tempting as it is, I have to say no. Finally I have found a place where I can be me, I'm not giving it up."

The Doctor nodded in understanding, then looking at John.

"That means you're not coming either."

"We're friends, Sherlock and me" John replied. "We've been to a lot together, so when he stays, I'm staying too."

"And you two?" he asked Maylene and Ayumi.

"I like it here" Maylene answered first. "Besides I can't leave my Tardis behind, that wouldn't be fair. And then there's the cafe. I can't let Ayumi manage it on her own."

"Hey" Ayumi protested with a pout, while the others tried not to chuckle and failed. "I'm not that bad on my own."

"Well, at least I know where to find you now" the Doctor turned to Sherlock when everyone had calmed down again.

"221b Baker Street, London, Earth" Sherlock answered with a smile.

The End ?


End file.
